Double Helix
by Laurent Forever
Summary: It's two months until graduation and Bella is anxious for it to be over, especially since the rumour of her and Edward's engagement has slipped and spread. However, a new student seems to have enrolled at Forks High School who will baffle the two of them.
1. Prologue: Unexpected

Disclaimer: All characters in this story, save one, are copyright to Stephenie Meyer. The following content is entirely for nonprofit writing entertainment. Please do not sue me! I'm not claiming anyone from the world of Twilight or New Moon or anyone else's works.Warning: This will contain spoilers for the sequel to Twilight, New Moon, if you have not read it yet!

* * *

**Prologue: Unexpected**

* * *

"Married? Oh my! Bella, when?"

I sighed softly, frowning at the sound of Angela's voice that had forgotten to whisper the response to the news, like mine had. As much as the idea hadn't appealed to me before, I found myself looking forward to a wedding now. Perhaps it was the stereotypical girl in me.

Even still, there was no secret now. Like a hawk, Mike's head snapped our way, eyes wide and alert.  
"What? What am I missing here?"

I knew by the tone in his voice that he was hoping one of us would tell him that Angela was only talking about a member of my family I'd been informing her on. Right now I wished awfully that was the truth. Angel froze, then bit her lip and looked down at her lunch tray, ashamed at speaking so loudly.  
There was a possibility it could have stayed at that. I could have lied and told him I was giving Angela news on a cousin or something. Unfortunately, this made a chain reaction. Jessica. The chatterbox. With ears like a homing device.

"What's this?" She looked at me with an expression that I couldn't sort between confusion and a frown. "Bella?" She paused, staring. "Are you and Edward getting married?

I suddenly wanted nothing more than to crawl under the table. My cheeks were burning as a dead give-away. I couldn't lie to that one.

"Well," I started. "He did ask me..."

Mike nearly flew over the table. "What?! When"  
I knew my ears were searing now.

"You have got to be kidding me," I heard Lauren whisper. I didn't even want to see the look on her face.

"I...I don't know...not that long ago," I squeaked in response to Mike's question. I wanted Edward and Alice to be here, so badly, but the sun that was streaming in through the lunch room windows explained why they weren't in school. Though I loved it, I mentally cursed the sun. If it weren't for that evil orb Edward would be here, sitting next to me, and I never would have felt the urge to tell Angela about the proposal.

"So you are!" Jessica was nearly bouncing out of her seat. By now the rest of the table was whispering, as well as the ones closest to us.

"Darn it."

Jessica now looked puzzled. "What? Bella, aren't you excited? I mean, this is a wedding!"

The whispers grew louder. I could feel every face in the room staring at me.

"Jess...I have to go." I quickly stood up and made my way to the door, dumping my tray's contents in the closest trash can to the door. I could hear her calling after me.

I suppose it wasn't so bad, really. I had less than two months of school left. I could deal with the whispers from people I didn't know and Jessica's interrogations, right? The worst part was that I hadn't even given Edward a firm 'yes,' yet.

"Well, I suppose that's the answer, then," I murmured to myself as I walked down the hall and out the double doors in front of the building. I would have to find Edward as soon as possible and tell him, though I'm nearly certain he was sure of what it would be. Sometime his eyes were deceiving, though. I could never read them properly.

Biology next. I still had a few minutes left, since I'd taken off from the lunch room early. A sigh escaped me as I looked up to the skies. The normal ominous clouds were beginning to roll in again. I tried not to get my hopes it. The Cullen's never came in for the second half of the day if there had been sun, so I knew I wasn't going to see Edward next period. I'd even driven on my own today.  
The thought made me glance over to the student parking lot. My truck sat there, looking almost out of place to me, since I'd been riding with Edward for the past...how long had it been?

"Huh." I smiled slightly at the thought and shoved the hands in the pockets of my jeans and strolled around they yard. Usually the ground was too soggy to consider walking this way, but the sun had dried it up well enough this morning. But then something caught my eye. Something else out of place.  
In the parking lot, only two spaces down from mine, was a Silverado truck. It had a gold paint job on it that all but screamed the fact that it was brand new. It wasn't nearly as intense as Rosalie's convertible, but it still stood out. I'd come to recognize most of the vehicles in that lot each day. This one was unfamiliar. Either someone had purchased a new truck or there was a new face in the school. A student's parking pass hanging from the rearview mirror stated this. Though, it seemed odd that someone would transfer here with only two months of school left. Ah well.

The bell rang and I knocked me out of my daydreaming. My next two classes were uneventful, except for the constant stares and whispers. Angela kept murmuring apologies to me over the lecture. I sighed and just continued to tell her it was fine. The bashful look she gave told me she didn't believe that.

By the end of my last class I was happy to see that the looks from others were happening less and less. Not to mention my suspicions were confirmed. I might have been eavesdropping a little, but I was nosey.

"Did you see him yet?"

"No. Is he a looker?"

"Oh yes."

"Did you catch his name?"

"No. Nikki's in his last class though. I'm sure she'll get it."

Just from following the two girls down the hall I was now knowledgeable of the fact that there was indeed a new student, a senior, and he had arrived some time during lunch. He already seemed to have most of the girls in a flutter. Curiosity was getting the best of me and I couldn't help but wonder if I could catch a glimpse of this mystery person while walking out to the parking lot. The gold truck was still there, complete with a few lingering boys admiring it.

Maybe I'd just sit in the cab of my own truck and watch to see-  
"Ah!" My books flew out of my arms and across the grass.

"Dang! Bella! I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking were I was going!"

"Er...it's fine, Tyler." I watched him scrambling on hand and knee to pick up the books and the loose papers that had escaped some of them. Fantastic. It seemed like he'd finally gotten over the incident with the van and taking me to prom and...everything. Knowing my luck this would trigger it again. Pretty soon he would be wanting me to have his children in apology, somehow.

He handed the books back to me, still muttering 'I'm so sorry's left and right.

"Really, it's fine. I knew I'd made it through the day too unscathed, anyway." I quirked a smile to him.

"As long as you're not hurt. I mean, wow, I'm not usually such a klutz."

It was rather humorous to hear someone else calling themselves a klutz in my presence.  
"I'm alright, really. Relax."

"Are you sure? I mean-"

Tyler's voice stopped in mid sentence and he shifted to look at something behind me. Turning to see what was out of my view, I came face to face with a ragged brown cowboy hat, making me jump in surprise.

The male beneath it stood up the rest of the way, now holding out one of my escaped papers that'd he'd just picked up. "Miss? This yours?"

I stared in awe. He was taller than me, possibly taller than Edward, so I had to look up a bit. He was indeed attractive. Long blonde waves of hair escaped from beneath that hat. I'd guess him to be eighteen, or at least close to it.

"Miss?"

"Oh!" I blinked at him and took the paper back in the top book, not paying attention.

"Thank you."

"Not a problem." He smiled, flashing nearly unnaturally white teeth.

I frowned when I saw the pale tone of his skin, milky white, even if stretched over firm muscles that you'd have guessed to be gained from hours in the sun. My heart stopped for a moment, skipping a beat in fear.

"Is there a problem?" He tilted his head a bit, causing a few of those curls to fall over his shoulder.  
"I...no," I whispered, looking up into a set of radiant burgundy eyes.

This was not good. This was not right at all. I thought of James' eyes, and Laurent's...but more James'. I would never forget the way I felt like that hunter's eyes were boring into my soul. This stranger's were exactly the same.

"Bella? Do you two know one another?" Tyler frowned. "Bella, you look a bit flushed."

"No." I muttered and stepped back, not sure if I was responding to Tyler or the situation in front of me.

The new student's smile began to fade and he looked at me closely. "Ma'am?" His southern draw was unique and somehow added to his 'charm'

"Bella?" Tyler whispered my name again. "Do you need to sit down?"

"Bella?"

Wait. I froze. That voice was different. I looked in the direction it came from, then exhaled slowly in relief as I saw Edward walking over, his arms crossed over his chest. He was looking at the stranger with a mix of confusion and irritation. I could see the muscles in his jaw tense as he held his tongue. "Is everything alright here?"

I looked back to the student to see his reaction. He was looking at Edward, but seemed to now be grinning a bit. "Yes indeed. Just helping the lady pick up her books"  
With that, he gave me one more passing glance and walked off to the truck that I know also confirmed was his. I could have sworn I heard him chuckle as he passed us.


	2. Chapter 1: Guessing Games

(Disclaimers at the top of the first chapter, please go there to read them! 

In response to the reviews, thank you! I hadn't expected to receive any feedback just hours after posting:) And...to the one anonymous reviewer who didn't like the way I had my paragraphs spaced, I apologize...but they're spaced almost the exact way you would find them in a book. Even still, I'll see what I can do, I suppose. I'll rearrange the 'first chapter' a little. (I also forgot to title that it was the prologue. That's fixed now! This is also why it was so short. )

One of my friends asked me about the rating. I've rated it 'M' due to the fact that I have no idea what sort of language is going to come out of this (Especially if said mystery character gets into a yelling match. Eek. I don't know if there will be any spicy scenes...but who knows, right?

I hope everyone's enjoying! Chrysta Bella)

* * *

**Chapter 1: Guessing Games**

* * *

If Edward had been a more violent person with me he probably would have thrown me into the vehicle right then and there.  
Poor Tyler stood there, confused, as Edward just grabbed my arm and pulled me in the direction of where his Volvo sat in the parking lot.

"But..." I stared at the strange new student as he climbed into his gold Silverado, answering the questions of the anxious truck-obsessed boys.

"I can't believe this. I come to pick you up, figuring it would be a nice thing to do since you hadn't had the chance to see me today. And still you find trouble."

I looked at Edward, drawing my attention from the previous distraction. "You came to pick me up?"

His face remained hard and expressionless.

"Wait! My truck!"

"Don't worry about it."

How could I not worry about it? Did that mean we would have Alice or someone come and pick it up like before?  
He opened the passenger side door of the silver car and practically pushed me into it.

"Hey," I protested, but he already had the door shut and was sweeping around the driver's side with that usual cat-like grace.

"What's going on?" I frowned, watching as he started up the car, already backing it out of the parking space. "What do you mean by trouble?"

Edward looked at me, lips in a tight straight line before he finally answered. "Bella, did you see him? Did you honestly not notice? Judging by the expression on your face I'd have to say I didn't believe you if you said you hadn't."

"Of course I saw him! He was talking to me."

He twitched the corners of his lips and looked back at the road. "I could smell him."

I folded my hands in my lap and looked at them. I knew Edward would have picked up on the stranger long before me. "He was a vampire, wasn't he?" My voice came out in more of a whisper than I had wanted it to, but I knew Edward would still be able to hear it.

"You're observant."

It took a moment to hold my words back and retaliate to his tone of voice and harsh words. I took a deep breath, telling myself I was being foolish. Of course Edward would be upset. There was another vampire in town, not to mention the fact that he must have planned on staying for a while since he enrolled in classes. Unless there was another reason.  
"Do you know him?"

"No."

"Oh. Do you think he'll be a danger?"

The car slammed to a halt. I was thankful I had my seatbelt on as I lurched against it. I looked wide-eyed out the windows to see what we'd almost hit, but we were pulled off the side of the road. Edward's hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white, and he was still staring ahead. "A danger? Bella, did you look at his eyes? Have you figured that out?"

"Yes..." I knew that the Cullen's eyes were only gold because of their diet. If one of them would feed on human blood then their eyes would change to a deep burgundy and stay that was until the black overpowered the iris.

"If he is feeding on human blood then everyone you know is in danger. Including you!"

I thought back to Charlie telling us about the missing hikers and the blood. Was this going to turn into another one of those episodes?  
"No, there has to be a solution. All of you have to be strong enough to take care of him, right?"

Edward now looked at me, his expression a bit more calm. "I thought you hated the idea of us endangering ourselves for the protection of others?"

Damn. He knew me far too well.  
"And not only that, but there's the pack. There's the chance they might chase him away before any of you could get to him, correct?"

Now his mouth pursed and he turned away again. His body was tense. I should know better than to bring up Jacob or any of the other werewolves around him. It was a silly precaution that I hated having to take, especially in situations like this.

"Seriously, Edward. I mean, if he steps out of line..." I wasn't used to being the calm one. Perhaps all the encounters I'd made in the past year were making me more confident.

"No."

"No, what? You don't think he will?"

He kept his eyes from meeting mine as he pulled back out onto the road, ignoring my question. The needle hit one hundred and ten, making me have to close my eyes to keep from yelling at him about it.

"Edward?" I tried again for an answer.

He was silent for a few more seconds, then murmured, "I mean that no, I don't think the pack will chase him away."

"What do you mean?"

Again I was given only silence. I sighed quietly and watched the road in front of us. It took me less than a moment to realize that we were speeding along the road that lead out of Forks.  
"Are we going to see the others?"

"Yes."

My eyes were wide and I strained against the seat belt again, putting a hand on his arm, gripping. "Edward! I'm grounded, remember?!"

"Shit," I heard his breath hiss, revealing the fact that he hadn't thought about that. Then his brows furrowed. "I thought Charlie was fishing today?"

"He is." I disliked the idea, anyhow. "But if he finds out that I was half a minute late getting home, I'll be killed."

Charlie was still upset about running off with Alice, and then the motorcycle incident. He still used that against me. The bike had quickly been given back to the Markses'. They had looked shocked that the shining red motorcycle was the same on as the pile of scrap that had been in their front yard.

"I'll make sure you're home before him, Bella. This is important."

Another sigh and I sat back in the seat again. If Edward said he'd have me home in time then I knew he would. Charlie wouldn't be back until later. The fish had been going crazy in population at his normal spot, so I had no doubt he would come back home just after dark with more fish than we could fit into the freezer. I knew what we were going to be having for dinner tonight. The relieving fact here was that I wouldn't be able to start cooking until after Charlie was home.

The car came to a stop at the Cullen's home in an almost impossibly short amount of time. Esme was standing at the door, smiling in her usual warm way.  
"Hello, Bella. This is quite a surprise."

"Hello, Esme!"

Edward slipped away as Esme and I exchanged our hellos, but she quickly caught on to his troubled expression and grew concerned, following after him.  
"Edward?"

"Just a moment," I heard him saying to her. "I want everyone to be here for this. I have news."

We followed him into the dining room, to the table that seemed to be used only for moments like these. Within seconds the entire family was in the room and seating themselves around the table.

"Edward? What's wrong?" Carlisle watched him pacing.

Rosalie looked between Edward and I, Emmett sitting beside her, looking concerned. Alice sat, waiting, holding Jasper's hand.

"We have another visitor," Edward explained, stopping to stand behind my chair, resting his hands on the back of it.

"Another visitor?" Alice blinked. I wondered if she hadn't forseen this and was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Another. He seems to be posing as a student. I saw him after he approached Bella after classes."

All eyes turned to me and I nodded in response. "Yes. He had a strong southern accent. I never caught his name, though."

"The accent could be false. This might mean nothing," Carlisle explained, sitting back in his chair with a thoughtful look. "I'll look into it. Until then we should all be on the watch."

"What about Bella? Should we tail her?" Emmett questioned.

Carlisle shook his head, standing, his fingers on his chin, tapping a little. "Perhaps not. If this one is enlisting as a student then obviously he plans to make interaction with others. I think having Edward and Alice in classes with her will be safe enough for the time being." His attention turned to me. "He...did not express any specific interest in you that we should be aware of, did he?"

"Not really. I'd dropped my books. Well, actually Tyler ran into me, making me drop them..." I heard Rosalie sigh and returned to answering Carlisle. "But he picked up one of the papers that Tyler missed. He didn't really say much at all, actually...just looked at me. His eyes were dark red."

This did seem to surprise Carlisle, but not too much. He raised a brow and stopped walking. "Interesting. I wonder if he is intending on practicing restraint during classes."

I shuddered at the thought of anything else. I would want no one, not even Lauren, to become one of his meal victims.

"Edward? Alice? Keep a watch on him during class hours. Emmett, Jasper and myself will do our best to trace him afterward, tomorrow. Unnoticed if possible."

Emmett and Jasper nodded in agreement to the plan. Rosalie and Esme leaned closer to one another. I could tell they were plotting something between themselves.

I looked up at Edward with a bit of concern. He met my eyes, then nodded. "Right. I need to return her back home."

Carlisle seemed to hit a moment of realization.  
"Aha. Charlie has no idea you are here, does he?"

"No..."

"Yes, do take her home then. It would be nice to see her more often than we do. And for that to happen I believe ungrounding must take place." Carlisle's eyes sparkled a bit as he spoke.

Alice gave me a hug, then Edward was ushering me out of the house. We climbed back into his car, myself thinking about what was going on with this whole situation. I pondered briefly if this strange new vampire was a friend of Victoria's. Carlisle didn't seem too worried, though, so I passed the thought away. What if he was just like Edward and the others, trying to find somewhere settle down for a bit. Even if that were the case it couldn't be forgotten that he was feeding on humans.

"What are you thinking about?"

I blinked back into reality, looking over at Edward. "Nothing, really. Just today."

"Ah." He just nodded a single time and kept driving.

Charlie still wasn't home by the time we arrived. Edward got out and opened my door in his usual gentlemanly fashion. I could tell he still seemed troubled and took his hand, pulling him into the living room to sit on the couch with me.  
"Talk to me."

He looked a little confused and curled up against me.  
"About what?"

"It's just that it still looks like something's bothering you."

Even sitting on the couch with such a pensive expression Edward still looked beautiful, godly even. His topaz eyes looked thoughtful as he debated how to respond to what I said. Then he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine in a gentle kiss before whispering.  
"Something is."

"Oh?"

He rested his cheek against mine, closing his eyes. "There was something odd about him. Something that I suspect, but it seems impossible."

"What's that?"

Edward shook his head and nuzzled my temple.  
"I don't want to say anything until I know for certain. As sure as it seems, I should still speak with Carlisle about it, first."

I shifted to look closer at him. He opened his eyes and met my gaze.  
"Edward, you forced me to tell you my suspiciouns about you before I was sure. Tell me, please?"

That crooked smile played at his lips. "Forced you? How do you figure this?"

"Alright, so there wasn't much actual force, but still!"

He blinked, then chuckled softly and hugged me closer. "I really don't know if you would believe me, though. In fact, I'm not sure if I believe myself."

"Just tell me..."

Edward's eyes stared at the floor aimlessly, then he exhaled slowly and closed them. "If...my senses are serving me as they should be, I don't believe that unknown person is a full vampire."

"What? Do you mean he's only half vampire?"

"No, no," he mumbled. "Well, somewhat. I'm not sure. He seems to be as much a vampire as Carlisle or myself, but there's something else..."

"How?" How could someone be something other than a vampire.

"I think," he paused a moment, as if second guessing himself before speaking the following words, his velvet voice still peaceful, somehow. "I think...this person is part werewolf as well."

Now it was my turn to stare.  
"Are you...serious? Is that possible?"

"I'm not entirely certain, Bella. I hope it isn't. But one thing is certain, unlike my assumptions. And that is that I have a feeling things are about to get very complicated."


	3. Chapter 2: Enigma

(I apologize in advance if this chapter gets a bit emotional. I was listening to 'Here With Me' by Dido and 'Why Does It Always Rain On Me?' by Travis for most of it (inspired because they're both on the unofficial Twilight soundtrack that Stephenie Meyer has listed on her website). I think the two songs converted my mood a bit. 

This storry is also getting a lot longer and more in depth than I suspected it would! I'm rather enjoying it.

But...I'll hush now. Readers are here to read, not listen to me babble. :P Enjoy!

With love,  
Chrysta Bella)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Enigma**

* * *

Edward had answered all my questions that followed his assumption with quiet 'I don't know's. I stopped when I realized he wasn't going to present any useful information. The rest of the evening had been spent snuggling and in thought until Charlie came home. My truck had indeed made it home, but I was thankful enough for that, without asking questions.  
I made dinner, Edward left...and then slipped back in through my bedroom window, as usual.

The next morning went about it's usual routine. As we pulled into the parking lot of Fork's High School, I looked around for the gold truck. Sure enough, there it was, now lacking the crowd of spectators around it.

I didn't encounter our mystery stranger again until my third class- the one class I didn't have with Edward. He was already sitting with his books on the desk in front of him by the time I walked in.

'Great,' I thought to myself. 'Right behind me.' I nervously took my seat in front of him, doing my best to keep facing forward. There was no point in drawing more attention to myself after yesterday. It was more difficult to keep my focus ahead though. Mike usually sat next to me during this class, but he seemed to be out of school today. I hoped he was alright.

"Pssst."

I heard the noise but ignored it as the teacher began the lesson. I figured students behind me were trying to sneak in conversation.

"Hey," someone whispered.

Were they trying to get my attention? The teacher turned and looked in my general direction, then went back to reading from the text book she had in her hand.

Something light hit the back of my head, making me jump in surprise. I saw a white blur out of the corner of my eye and looked to see a crumpled paper ball settling beside my chair. After checking to make sure I wasn't being watched again from the head of the room, I scooped down and picked it up, uncrumpling it under my desk to see if there was anything written on it. Sure enough, there was.

_'Is the person who sits beside you not here today?'_

I blinked, confused, and by a reflex I looked over at the desk where Mike usually sat. I tried not to squeak when I saw my mystery stranger now sitting there, grinning at me. That seat had just been empty a minute ago!

"What are you doing?" I mouthed the words to him, soundlessly.

He shrugged, nonchalantly, just staring at me. His smile was devious and sly, unlike Edward or any of the Cullen's. The first similarity that came to my mind was a cobra- hypnotizing and beautiful, but extremely deadly. I blushed slightly.

"Mr. Prachett." A stern female voice rang through the class.

"Mrs. Sanchez?" He turned to her with a soft smile.

She stuttered on her words a little, not that I could blame her, but kept on with the point.  
"Were you so unsatisfied with your current seat that you felt the need to switch right in the middle of my class?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I was finding it difficult to listen from where I was. I thought for today I could move closer."

A few whispers snuck around, but Mrs. Sanchez seemed satisified. "I see. Know that the young man who usually sits there is absent today, but when he returns that seat will be unavailable."

"Yes, ma'am."

She eyes him a moment longer, then sat behind her desk, beginning to read out loud from the text again.

I used this time to observe him more. So, his name was Prachett? Well, the last part, at least. He had the same shadows beneath his eyes that I'd began assuming all vampires had. Though, he seemed more friendly than the rest.  
Taking the piece of paper he'd tossed at me just moments ago, I scribbled beneath his own handwriting.

_'I'm Bella Swan. You?'_

It wouldn't hurt to gain more information on him. I slipped the paper over onto his desk, hoping not to be seen by anyone who would care.

His eyes scanned what I wrote, then he grinned again, starting to write. While he did this I stared at the page that I assumed we were reading from. Of course, it had been a while since I'd stopped paying attention. My hopes of not being called on skyrocketed.

The paper found it's way back onto my desk.

_'I gathered that from how many times your friend said it yesterday. Wesley Prachett. Good to meet you, Bella.'_

He was charming, even in his writing. I wondered if he was related to Terry Prachett somewhere along his family tree. This childish note passing continued for the rest of the class.

_'Oh. Sorry. Tyler doesn't know how to be quiet sometimes.'_

_'I figured. Are you from Forks?'_

_'Yes, where are you from?'_

_'Houston, Texas.'_

_'Wow, why did you come here?'_

_'Family reasons. It's a long story. Are you busy after school? I could explain everything then and maybe you could show me around.'_

Good job, Bella, you've done exactly what you didn't want to do and drew attention to yourself. I sighed quietly and tried to think of an excuse. I wasn't working today, so that was out. I glance over at him for a second, but didn't make eye contact. My gaze bounced of Mike's desk. Aha! That was it...

_'There really isn't much to see in Forks. I was thinking about stopping at my work to see if Mike (the guy who's desk you're sitting in) was alright.'_

I handed the note back and tried not to smirk. Maybe the thought of important male friends and concerned visits would hold him off for the time being.

Within a minute the note was back in front of my. I read it, then my jaw nearly dropped.

_'Really? Could I tag along anyhow? I'd like to meet some other people. I'm sure you have very interesting friends.'_

So much for that. There was no getting out of this. I looked over at him and gave a weak nod, pushing up a smile. He grinned like a fool and sat back in the seat.

"Bella Swan?"

I jumped at the voice beside me, turning to see Mrs. Sanchez reaching for the note.

"Is this something you'd like to share with the rest of the class."

"No..." I hid behind my hair, my cheeks burning with the blush.

"Let us not forget what grade we're in again." She gave me a warning look and headed to the front of the room again, writing the assignment on the chalkboard. A few students groaned...at least the ones that weren't still snickering at the note incident.

"However," she looked at me again. "Since you intend to see Mr. Newton after school, you can take him his missed work."

A few more snickers went around the class and I just nodded as she walked back over and put the packet of papers on my desk. There was no getting out of my own fib now.  
"Alright..."

I refused to look at Wesley for the remained of the class. I didn't need to be in any more trouble. When the bell rang I scooped up my books, anxious to get away before I could be cornered. Nothing, however, could come so easily for me. My hand clumsily hit my pencil as I was reaching for it and sent it twirling off the desk toward the floor. "Crap."

A white hand shot out of nowhere and caught the pencil just before it landed. I froze.

"You're good at droppin' things, you know that."

"Yes, actually. Thank you." I took the pencil back and shifted uneasily.

Wesley grinned, watching me. "So, after school then?"

"Sure, though I warn you, Forks is pretty boring."

"Well, something's holdin' you here, ain't it?"

I looked at him curiously, wondering if there was a hidden meaning behind that Texan accent. He only smirked, then laid a hand on my shoulder.  
"Relax, dollface, I'm just messin' with ya'."

To my surprise, his hand was not cold like I'd expected it to be. Though, it wasn't fever-hot like Jacob's either.

"Off to the next class then?" His voice purred and he winked at me.

"Right." I exhaled slowly, then headed for the door again, more successfully this time since I actually made it through.

Edward was standing there, as usual, leaning against the edge of the building. I caught a glimpse of his smile, but if quickly tensed when he saw who was following me.

"I'll catch you later then, k?" Wesley chuckled, then headed off in the direction of his next period class.

Edward all but ran to my side, almost protectively.  
"What was that about?"

"His name is Wesley Prachett. He's from Texas."

He didn't seem convinced and his voice was firm.  
"Bella, you weren't supposed to become friends with him or anything of the sort."

"I didn't really have much of a choice, Edward." I stared at my feet as I walked, feeling like a dog that had just been scolded. "He approached me first. I couldn't just turn away and be rude."

Edward shook his head a little, but didn't disagree. We made our way to the building were we both needed to be for math, then he murmured before we went in.  
"I'm going to follow you two after school, just so you know."

"You were listening again!"

He sighed and kept his voice quiet, making it all the more alluring and strangely seductive.  
"We're supposed to be watching out for you, remember."

"So?!"

"Bella, just get in the classroom."

I gave a loud 'hmph' and stormed in, taking my seat. I must have put my books down a bit too hard because everyone looked my general direction. I held back yet another blush and tried to go back to my usual hiding.

Edward seemed faintly amused.

At lunch Alice demanded the details I'd found out. I was thankful she didn't feel the need to lecture me as Edward had. Before I could protest, both of them had declared that they were going to be following us after school.

Then Alice paused in puzzlement.  
"Wait. I thought you were grounded, Bella?"

"Oh!" I stilled, then groaned. I kept overlooking this fact. "I am."

"I guess you won't be going, then," Edward chimed in, making it sound more as a hope than a conclusion.

"Nonsense. Of course she is. There has to be a solution."

The discussion's possible solution led me to standing outside the lunchroom on Alice's cell phone, calling Charlie at his office.

"Chief Swan."

"Hello, Ch-Dad?"

"Bells? Is everything alright?"

"Yes." I'd gotten used to his suspicioun every time I called him at work.

"What's going on then?"

"Well, there's a new student in school."

"Really? Who?"

"Wesley Prachett."

The quick silence on the other line told me that he was pawing through his memory.  
"Oh! That's right. They moved to this are just last week. A good family, from what I've seen."

"Really?" May as well try to dig anything useful out of him that I could.

"Yep. A mother and two sons. But what does this have to do with anything?"

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then threw everything out quickly.  
"Well, Wesley doesn't know his way around town and he hasn't really met anyone yet. He sits next to me in one of my classes and we started talking. Mrs. Sanchez asked me to take Mike's homework over to him since he was out of school today, then Wesley asked if he could tag along and maybe I could point out a few places in Forks to him."

There was another pause and I knew Charlie was trying to sort everything I'd just said out.  
"After school today?"

"Yes."

"Bells, you're supposed to be grounded, you know that."

"I know. I figured since I'd been asked to take Mike's work to him, though..."

"How long do you think this is going to take?"

Good, we were making a bit of progress in my favor.  
"I don't know. He's really anxious to see his way around and get to know the area. I heard he almost got lost on his way to school today." A little white lie never hurt, right?

"Really?"

"That's what I heard." I was hearing it right now, from my own mouth.

"Well, I suppose. But understand that this is a one time thing, alright?"

"Thank you, Charlie!" I smiled, happy to be able to get out of the house for a while, other than for work and school, more than anything.

"You're welcome, Bells. Not too late, alright?"

"I promise."

"Be safe." The phone clicked and I knew he hung up. I shut the cell phone and leaned against the wall, relieved. That had actually gone much easier than I enticipated.

"You seemed awfully happy about that."

I nearly jumped out of my skin until I noticed Edward beside me.

"Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?" He asked with that crooked smile in an innocent voice, well, as innocent as it could be.

"Sneak up on me like that."

"Mm." He responded with only that, then leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips.

The bell rang, rudely interrupting our moment. Grinning, I took his hand and we headed off to our next class.

The rest of the day went by rather smoothly, though the ominous reminder of after school continued lingering in my mind.

I waited by my truck afterward, watching the students file toward the parking lot. Sure enough, Wesley came walking across the grass, carrying himself in a godly way. He probably could have passed for a god, actually.

"Are you ready?" I gave him a friendly smile.

"Yup. You drivin' or am I?"

"I'd like to, if you don't mind."

"Not a problem." He gave one of his charming grins and tipped the brim of his hat to me, then climbed into the passenger side of the red truck.  
I I got in, much less gracefully, and started the engine. He smirked as my engine roared, but said nothing.

"Did you have anywhere in particular you wanted to see?" I asked as casually as I could, pulling out of the lot.

"Not really."

I looked over and saw him gawking into one of the side mirrors. Curiously I glanced to my rearview mirror, seeing that Edward's Volvo was right behind me.

"That's your boyfriend?"

"Yes. My fiancée, actually." That sounded more odd to say than I could describe. Maybe it would derail this strange new vampire from any nasty thoughts he had.

"Really? That's cool." He looked to me and grinned.

"I think so too."

Wesley chuckled and then we lapsed into silence. Once I saw him eyeing the gaping hole in my dashboard with curiousity, but he didn't ask about it. I was grateful for it. I wasn't sure when, but eventually Edward's car disappeared from behind us. I knew that didn't mean he was gone, though.

We pulled into Newton's Outfitters and I was still in the process of gathering up Mike's work when Wesley was already out of the truck and opening my door for me. Something in me twitched, but I smiled politely.  
"Thank you."

"My pleasure, m'day." He took off his hat and held it to his chest, giving me a flaunty bow. My heart fluttered just slightly. I immediately scolded myself for that.

Mike was nowhere to be found, unfortunately, but I left his papers with his father who seemed greatly appreciative of my effort to keep his son up to date. I refrained from telling him it was in punishment, of course.

We drove around after that, me pointing out the various forests and roads that I knew. He seemed interested in all of them. I oddly found myself starting to have fun with this. His enthusiasm kept me going and I felt good that I could actually help someone out to keep them from being as lost as I was when I first arrived.

"Woah, sweet! Can you stop for a minute?"

I hit the brakes and watched him curiously. He slid out of the truck and was walking across the grass before I could ask what he was doing.

"Wesley?" I parked the truck and turned it off (gas was a precious thing to me anymore) and went after him.

By the time I caught up he was standing in front of a large totem pole.

"This is La Push."

"Yeah," he said, admiring the pole. "Quileute territory." He muttered the words and for a second I thought I saw something almost nostalgic in his eyes.

"Wesley?"

He shook his head, then gave me a smile. "Just admiring the craftsmanship."

I smiled in return. If Edwards suspiciouns were correct, I wasn't sure if I wanted to know how all of it had came to be.

"Bella...?"

Both of us turned at the new voice. My smile then grew more genuine. "Jacob!"

Jacob, however, looked less than pleased. He was starting at Wesley with a look that bordered both confusion, shock, and anger.

Wesley gave him a greeting nod, but Jacob kept staring.

"Jacob," I said a bit timidly. "This is Wesley. Wesley, this is my friend, Jacob." It had been a while since I was able to say that. I hope Jacob heard my emphasis on the word 'friend.'

The paper bags of groceries and newly purchased items (I'll guess he was on his way back home) that were in Jacob's arms were put down on the grass. He looked at me, then back at Wesley again. I knew he was sensing what Edward had sensed.

"Jacob?" I frowned, growing wary, wondering what his reaction would be.

But he just blinked, his shoulder twitching a few times. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment, then took a step back, baffled.  
"Not possible."

Wesley smirked and just stared right back at him.  
"Anything's possible, kid."

"What the hell!?"

I cringed at the sound of Jacob cursing. Before I could make an attempt at calming him, he tore off into the woods. I knew he was on his way to tell the pack.


	4. Chapter 3: Judgment

(This took me longer than the others to finally update, and I apologize. Life has been crazy!

Though...yes, the chapters are getting longer! It's the way my stories work. ;) And wow! I'm flattered by how much feedback this has picked up! Thank you all for the encouraging words. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying it still. This is a prewarning, though- my stories are never very short. There is a chance this might hit ten chapters or more before I start pondering how to bring it to a close. )

Chapter 3: Judgment

"We should go. Like, now!"

"Aww," Wesley protested, then followed me quickly back to the truck. "Go on, ruin all the fun."

"What?!" I glared at him, in the cab and slamming the door shut.

He shut his own door and grinned. "I didn't mean to scare your friend."

"Sure you didn't." I tore my glare away and started driving again, not really intent on going anywhere specific...just away.

"Really, I didn't." His voice actually sounded truthful this time.

I glanced over again and he was looking out the window with a soft expression. I was starting to get the feeling that there was something more to this than met the eye. Every few months it seemed like something new was being thrown my direction. First, I had classes with vampires. Attractive ones, at that. Second, my best friend was a werewolf. If I ever wrote an autobiography maybe I would name it that- "My Best Friend Is A Werewolf." Thirdly, I was planning on marrying one of those vampires. Fourthly...is that even a word? Fourthly, now I was driving someone around who was vampire and werewolf both. How did I manage to get myself involved with these things?

This time couldn't get too horrible though, right? Not with both Alice and Edward out there, close by. If anything happened they would be with me in an instant. At least, I hoped. Still, a direct approach could be best right now.

"Wesley?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you really come here?"

"I told you, family reasons." He turned to me, his voice calm and almost soothing.

"Well, yes. But what was the reason for that. I mean, I know--" I stopped myself, thinking about the Vultori and how they had felt about me knowing about vampires.

"Know what?"

Did it matter anymore? They had come to a decision. I was allowed to continue like this as long as Edward or someone fulfilled their part of the deal- to change me.  
"I know what you are." My voice cracked a bit.

His grinned appeared, a little contorted. "Not surprising."

"Really?" I looked at him, amazed. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, look at you boyfriend. I knew you'd catch on, if you already knew about him, that is."

I suppose that made sense. A few things didn't, though.  
"I know that part of you, at least. There's something else, isn't there?"

"Your powers of observation serve you well."

"Will you tell me how that is?"

He was silent for a time, then closed his eyes and whispered, "No."

There was nothing more I could do. I was simply happy he hadn't torn me to pieces for being right. There were so many things I wanted to know the answers to. How was it possible for him to sit here like this and not be so tempted like the others could be? Did the sun have the same effect on him that it did with other vampires? Could he shift form like Jacob and the rest of the pack? Maybe if I kept this friendship up I could find all of this out.

I had no idea what the Cullen's would think of this. Wesley didn't come off as a threat to me or anyone else. Though, I hadn't seen him hungry yet. Perhaps we would see in a couple weeks, if hunger had the same effect on him, of course.

"Bella, look out!"

My brakes squealed along the road, the truck sliding to a stop as the smell of burning rubber invaded my nose.  
Wondering what could be the cause of Wesley's warning, I stared out through the windshield that was no dotted with a few lone rain droplets that had so kindly held off for the first part of the day. Standing there in our path was Sam, Jacob standing right beside him. They were hardly inches from the front of my truck.

"What are you doing?!" I opened the door and climbed out. "I almost hit you two!"

"It wouldn't have hurt us," Sam assured, sternly.

"It might have hurt my truck," I mumbled.

"Or you," came Edwards voice as he almost immediately appeared at my side. "That seatbelt is in your truck for a reason."

"Edward..."

"Enough," Sam growled. "It isn't you that we want to see, Bella. Um, no offense."

I felt a tinge of amusement at the added defense that was said in a nicer tone.

"It's him." Jacob pointed up into my truck where Wesley was sitting, still, an elbow the dashboard with his chin resting on it.

Wesley raised his brows, then sat up, getting out of the truck.

Sam walked over, less than two feet away from him, observing. "Who are you and where are you from?"

"Wesley Prachett. Houston, Texas."

A nod and Sam gave him another once over, obviously a bit baffled as well.  
"What business do you have here?"

A corner of Wesley's mouth quirked to a smile.  
"Nothin' you need be too worried about. I don't plan on causin' trouble in your...territory."

I heard Jacob growl. His body was shaking, but he was restraining himself well.

"Your very presence," Sam said quietly, strongly, "is a trouble for us."

"Why is that?" The new vampire just looked amused and I could see it beginning to irritate Sam.

"What are you?"

"A Prachett."

I thought I heard Edward give a quiet snerk and looked at him. His head was turned away and I was willing to bet he was hiding his amusement.

"We're not here to play games." One of Sam's brows twitched with agitation.

"That's good, 'cause you'd probably lose."

Silence billowed around us, for half a moment, before Sam's face started to get red. He was not pleased in the slightest by that response.  
"Are you getting coy with me, newcomer?"

"Nope, simply stating the facts. I ain't got no reason to fight with you."

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but then everyone froze before turning and looking behind where our road block had been previously standing. I sighed in relief as I saw Alice, Carlisle and Emmett walking toward the group. Alice must have alerted the Cullen's of the confrontation.

"If I may," Carlisle began, approaching us.

"You may not!" Sam growled. "Your kind are not welcomed here."

"Actually," Carlisle continued with that kind smile. "We are not near your lands. That totem is the line in which we agreed to not cross to keep the peace. We are well within our grounds."

"What do you want, then?" Jacob stepped up beside Sam, twitching and obviously uncomfortable to be surrounded by this many vampires.

"I came to introduce myself to this new person." He smiled at Wesley, who smiled back, a bit relieved. "And to explain to him what our treaty is in these parts. I'm quite sure he would not wish to violate it and cause even more uncomfort between all of us."

"No, sir," Wesley confirmed.

"So, if you don't mind, I would like to break up this unnecessary little gathering and escort him back to my home to give details."

"Fine," muttered Sam. "Under one condition."

I groaned, a bit louder than I wanted to, causing Jacob to glance over, then quickly look away again. Those 'one conditions' were the things I'd learned to fear.

"And what is that?"

"You tell him what he needs to know from your side...and then we get to talk with him."

Carlisle's smile faltered a bit. "You think this is needed?"

"Yes," Sam assured, his voice calming. "I can sense his bloodlines. In...all fairness, if he must hold your end of the treaty...then he must hold ours as well."

"What, Sam?!" Jacob put a hand on the older male's shoulder, but it was brushed off. He quickly hushed again.

Carlisle's smile was back.  
"Very well. Let us go, then, so as to not put this poor boy on the spot anymore."

Wesley nodded, silently, then made his way over to Carlisle. Far too quickly, they were all gone, Carlisle, Alice, Emmett, Wesley, even Jacob and Sam. As many times as I had seen their fascinating arrivals and departures, they still left me standing there in amazement each time. Or was it envy?  
Edward and I stood there, not sure what to say.

Finally, I broke the silence. "I guess I should be heading home. It's close to dark."

Edward nodded and reached a hand up, brushing the back of his fingers along my cheek.  
"Good idea. You go on. I want to be there for this meeting."

"Should I expect you tonight?"

"You should, assuming all goes smoothly." He gave me a reassuring smile and lifted my hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. 

The drive back home was short, but lonely. I'd had company for the first half of it, then an almost overwhelming amount of very unexpected company, and then there was no one, nothing but the roar of my trucks engine to keep me company.

"Bells, is that you?"

"Yes." Who else would it be?

I shut the door behind me, hearing the sound of a game, probably basketball, from the living room television. I was hoping to be able to sneak past with out being questioned, able to hole myself up in my bedroom to wait for Edward. Luck was seldom on my side...and now was no different. As soon as I went to put my foot on the first stair, I heard Charlie getting up.

"Did your friend like his tour?"

"Yes."

He came around the corner, nodding in satisfaction. "Good to hear. Where all did you go?"

Defeated, I headed into the kitchen to get a drink, giving Charlie a detailed description of all the places I showed Wesley, of course leaving out our company. I put extra attention into the little snippets, such as the reactions I was given with each place I explained. I hoped by doing this Charlie wouldn't feel obligated to dig deeper.

"Good, good," he said through a smile. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had a feeling that the look of approval was coming from his hopes that I would start to admire Wesley and step away from Edward.

No such luck.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun, actually, but I'm pretty tired and I have some homework to do before bed."

He took my hint and mumbled something too quiet for me to hear, but he wore a grin on his face, then headed back in to watch the rest of his game, I guessed.

My escape method wasn't entirely phony. I did have some homework that needed done before tomorrow. When I finally made it into my room I was both relieved and disappointed to see that Edward wasn't there. I hadn't thought their meeting would be nearly over just yet, but there was still that glimmer of hope. Even still, it was for the best. I had a bad habit of neglecting schoolwork when Edward was here. He would always lecture me about it the next day in class when I handed assignments in that were incomplete, but it was something neither of us ever thought about when we were together.

Though I had personal space and quiet tonight, I still did the work only half as good as I know I could have. I couldn't help it, my mind was wondering to places much rather than the realm of mathematics.

"Jacob," my lips said in complete silence. I hadn't seen Jacob in quiet a while. He was taller and more toned than I ever remembered. Did being a werewolf have that effect on him? That had to be the case, unless he had some hidden weightlifting gym in a mystery shed behind the house or garage.

I almost laughed at the secret gym thought, but it quickly reminded me of our own secrets when we had hidden those bikes from everyone. My humor turned to nostalgic sadness. So much for math. I shut the book, papers still in between it's pages, and laid down on the bed to stare at my ceiling.

I'd grown both numb and over-sensitive, at the same time, to the past experience of losing Jacob. It had all happened so quickly that sometimes I had to convince myself I hadn't imagined it. One day he was there...and so was I, sitting in the unfinished Rabbit and talking about cars and other things, or holding hands while running through the rain...laughing. He had helped me begin to heal. That was when I thought I was never going to laugh again. Then, in a near instant, he was gone from me to a different world, one he'd tried to keep me away from. Yet, even when I forced myself into it's bordering boundaries, it still was not the same. Jacob was not the same.

"Jacob will never be the same again," I murmured, aloud. My eyes had started to well a bit and I didn't notice until I shut them, feeling the warm trail run down my cheek, only to soak into my hair, then the pillow.

And now this whole incident...this Wesley. What was going to happen because of this? Would the pack and the Cullen's form another treaty with different measures? Would there be fighting? Would there be peace? They were all talking about it right now and it drove me insane not to be able to know immediately what was happening. I hated to be stuck in the middle like this, torn between so many people I loved and cared for.

I curled up in a fetal position on my side, hugging my pillow against my chest. I learned that if I cleared my mind as much as possible and just stared straight ahead...that the walls would not change color, no matter how intent you looked at them...or how long.

"This is ridiculous!" I sat up and chucked my pillow across the room, impatient and frustrated.

"Ack!"

I jumped so much I nearly fell off the bed. Edward was suddenly there, holding the pillow in front of him where he'd caught it just before it made contact with his face.

"Edward!" I leapt up and hurriedly walked over to him.

"Shhh." He glanced at my bedroom door, wary that my voice had possibly been heard by Charlie, then seemed calm again.

"What happened? What did they say? Did all of you talk? Are things going to be alright? What's going to happen to Wesl--"

"Bella, Bella, calm down for half a second. If you give me half a second to actually speak..."

"Sorry." I blushed a bright crimson.

Edward watched me until he was content with how much I calmed, then nodded once and sat down on the edge of my bed. "We did talk, of course. Carlisle explained the rules of hunting on our territory, where our grounds were, exactly, and the details of the treaty."

"What--"

He lifted a hand and I hushed my new flow of questions.

"It took a bit of persuasion, but Wesley has agreed to try our method of living while he's here. IF he finds he cannot, then he swore not to hunt anywhere near Forks."

"Where is he now?" I asked my question, hesitantly, relieved when I wasn't silenced.

"This was all at our home. Carlisle and Sam have escorted him to LaPush so they can speak with the other half of this agreement."

"The pack?"

He nodded.

I blinked as a small confusion passed my mind.  
"Carlisle went too? I thought vampires weren't allowed in LaPush."

"Generally we aren't supposed to be. But this is an unusual circumstance and it is only Carlisle."

I did my best to chase away the tremor or worry I felt at the thought of Carlisle being surrounded alone by an entire pack.  
"So...now what?"

"We wait."

"For?"

"Carlisle promised he would come by and inform me."

"But..." My eyes widened. "Charlie. What will I tell him? How would I explain him being here?"

The crooked grin finally resurfaced and Edward gave a quiet chuckle. "Why would you have to explain? I've never seen you run downstairs at my arrival each night and try to explain to Charlie why I showed up."

"He's going to...?" I looked at my window, bewildered. It was one thing to see Edward climb through that window, knowing he was anxious for my company, just as I was for his, but it would be another to watch the poised and well-manner Dr. Cullen sneak into my room.

Edward looked amused. "Are you going to blush?"

"Now that you said that, probably," I hissed. Of course, my cheek started to feel warm.

Two hours ticked by, Edward and myself now curled up in one another's arms on my bed. I only knew it had been close to two hours because my room grew dark with the incoming twilight, both of us too comfortable to get up and turn on a light, neither of even seeing the need to do so.

I was in the process of whispering 'I love you's in Edward's ear, when the soft and almost inaudible sound of someone clearing their throat came from behind my. I froze in place and Edward smirked.

"Carlisle."

"Edward, Bella." His voice was calm.

Edward was already sitting up while I clumsily propped myself on my elbow, anxious to hear what had been the verdict.

"A decision has been made," Carlisle began as he gracefully sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of my room. I held my breath, waiting. "But first I should explain the situation. Both parties are now in a position we have never been in or ever thought we would see."

"You can say that again..."

Carlisle shot a look at Edward, but kept on. "Wesley as born into the life of a werewolf, just as the others here. It seems he had great-grandparents from this general area, which was the reasoning of his family's return."

"He was born a werewolf? Just a werewolf?" My mind boggled a bit.

"Correct, Bella. However, his mother, Marianne, had quite the secret affair with a vampire." He paused a moment, scanning our faces for some unknown reason. "She ended up with child, but not his, for obvious reasons."

"Obvious reasons?"

Carlisle nodded.  
"Vampires cannot reproduce. Whatever state you are in upon changing is how you will be. We don't have the genetics to create children. Marianne had found another lover, became pregnant, then turned from him back to her affair. She bore the child in hopes that her and her love could raise him like their own. Wesley grew to the age of eighteen, then his 'foster father' grew possessive. In a near rogue-like madness he bit Wesley, intent on killing him."

"Why?!" I gasped.

"Because he was not a child of his own. He was an old vampire, Bella. It could be that his age and centuries upon centuries of knowledge were piling on him, creating the madness."

Edward raised a brow, frowning.  
"But, he did not die?"

"No." Carlisle's shook his head, sitting back. "Marianne heard her son's cries and ran to his aid. She possessed just enough strength to shove him off of Wesley. But her lover turned on her, raising a hand to strike. It was because of this sight that Wesley experienced his first change. His anger was too much to contain."

I felt Edward wince beside me. Neither of us asked what happened to the father. I had a feeling neither of us wanted to know, either. I remembered Alice expressing the dangers of a 'young' werewolf.

"No one is sure whether the double helix in him is created from the first shift he made then and there in combination with the venom seeping in his bloodstream or if it was simply the result that would have come about in the first place. None of that matters, however. He is here, regardless, and obviously seeking open arms to turn to."

"What did the others decide?" Edward's tone was curious, almost emotional. I wondered if he was feeling the same sympathy for Wesley that I was feeling right now.

"Sam was understanding about the matter, after he calmed. Wesley will not be taken into the pack until the elders speak with his mother. Even then, he must abide by the rules of the treaty, save the guidelines or territory. He is free to go where he chooses, but he must respect all other decisions we have made over the years."

Relief waved through me and I exhaled, my muscle untensing just that little bit that told me how worried I had been before this.

"Thank you, Carlisle."

"Edward, there is no need to thank me." The doctor stood and gave us one of those warm smiles, then nodded. "I've informed you. Now I should return to tell the others."

Before I could say goodbye, he was gone. 


	5. Chapter 4: Friendship

People! This fic has 2,379 views and only 27 reviews? Now, don't keep me in the dark about what you think:) Also, my apologies for taking so long to update with this chapter. I had a dream, one night, and immediately started typing it out as soon as I woke up. So, I've been trying to get that other fic out as well. I'll be taking turns on updating them, so don't hate me if chapters appear a little slower than previously. I'm glad everyone likes Wesley! He loves you too!

* * *

**Chapter 4 : Friendship**

So that was it, was it? Everything would be taken care of, right? Wesley would be safe. He could live here in Forks.

"Bella?"

I snapped out of my daydreams and looks over at Edward who was standing up from the desk, beside me. It wasn't him who had said my name, though. I glanced over at Jess, noticing that everyone else was also getting up. Had I been so out of it that I hadn't heard that annoying nasal bell ring?

"Hey, snap out of it." She waved a hand in front of my face, frowning.

"Jess, stop it. It's not like it's a problem if we're a whole minute or two late for lunch."

Even still, she sighed. That whole two minutes might keep her from getting any of the latest gossip that our friends would be so anxious to tell as soon as they say down. That was my guess, at least.

It was between that minute and walking to lunch that I remembered I was supposed to call Renee, my mother, last night. I'd completely forgotten. A frown crossed my face as I remembered it. Edward must have seen this because he looked at me with a bit of concern.

"I was supposed to call my mother last night," I explained, quietly.

"And you forgot?"

I nodded at that. There had been a lot going on, so I knew he could understand how it could have slipped my mind. "At least she didn't call Charlie in hysterics about it."

"Will she be mad about it?" Jess asked. She was walking on the other side of me. Even though she'd learned how to accept Edward being around us so much, she couldn't bring herself to walk next to him.

"I don't know." It was an honest answer.

"Well," she began. "There's that one lab. I think there are a couple computers in there that students are allowed to use when ever they want, for study halls and stuff."

"Oh! Perfect." If I sent her an email then maybe I wouldn't have to talk to her in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother, dearly, but when she starts on a phone it takes her hours to let the other person get a word in.

"Would you like me to come will you?"

I smiled at Edward as he questioned my need for company. "No, I think I can face the dangers of the computer lab, myself. Go on and find Alice."

He flashed a grin at me, even if leaving me alone was a bit of a reluctant move on his part, then leaned down and kissed my cheek. I thought I saw jess roll her eyes as she started to walk off toward the cafeteria.

Edward seemed to have no shame in letting the school know we were an item. It was no big public display of affection, of course, but just enough, I think, for him to make every other male in the school know that I was off limits.

I wasn't that hungry today, so missing lunch wasn't a big deal. How long did it take to write an email anyhow?

As I crossed the school grounds, I searched for a specific mod. I recognized it from my first day, when I'd memorized the map, even if I'd never even been to it yet. When I stepped into the little building, a man behind a small desk gave me a nod. I wasn't sure if he was the one always in charge of the lab or not. There was a door at the end of the module. It let into another larger one, the library. Through there was Mrs. Stempin, the librarian.

I took a moment to think back to the differences between Forks High School and my old school in Phoenix. Here no one minded if you just sauntered into the computer lab or the library. In fact, they greeted you. At my old school, you had to have signed passes from where you were coming from, and sometimes even an answer of why. I'd actually learned to avoid going there, entirely, just for those reasons. Here was different. Everything here was different.

Vampires on computers were different. Or was it werewolves?

I blinked in surprise, looking over at the student in the cowboy hat how was lazily lounged in front of one of the monitors, typing.

His head turned my way, picking up on my scent, I guessed. A gentle smile broke over his face as I walked over, taking a seat beside him.

"Yo."

"Hello, Wesley."

He looked back at the screen, thoughtfully, while conversing.  
"Not hungry?"

"Nope. You?"

He chuckled.  
"Not especially. Ask me again in another day or two and I might have a different answer for ya'."

I began wondering just how old Wesley was. He seemed to practice restraint very well, but so many things about him still came of as the epitome of young. Maybe it was simply his personality.  
Not wanting to make our supervisor suspicious, I opened the browser on the computer in front of me, typing in the URL of my email server. "What are you doing?"

I saw him shrug out of the corner of my eye. "Trying to link of a name for my little site thing."

Confused, I turned to him.  
"Site thing?"

"Yeah. I've been in here since my last class, study hall." His voice was whispering. Well, in a human tone, which I appreciated. "I saw some kid checking this site, so I went to see what it was all about. Turns out a lotta' people got one."

I leaned over to see what he was talking about, then laughed quietly.  
"Myspace? You're making a Myspace profile?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "Somethin' wrong with that?"

No, there wasn't anything at all wrong about it. It just seemed so...normal. There were thousands upon thousands of people on Myspace. Heck, I'll admit that even I had one once. With the slow connection at Charlie's house it was pointless to keep up with things like online profile and blogs, though.

In the end, we finally found a name that could be proudly sported at the end of his URL, that wasn't already taken-- thedoublehelix. It was probably wrong for me to be as amused about it as I was.

I wrote out the email to Renee, apologizing profusely for my absent-mindedness and giving her description of how things were going, leaving out some things, obviously. If I was lucky, she wouldn't send me a message back, asking me to call once I was home.

Clicking the small Xs to close down pages, I moved to get up. To my surprise, Wesley did, as well. "Heading out?" I asked.

He nodded and we exited the computer lab together. I couldn't fight off the curiosity any more. Once we were out of earshot, I spoke up.  
"There's more to you, isn't there?"

"What do ya' mean?" He looked at me, puzzled.

"Well, how old are you, for one?"

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his faded jeans and grinned, looking at the ground while he walked.  
"I'll be sixty-one in a couple months. Not that it really matters."

"Is the accent real?"

He nodded.

"You're really from Texas, then?"

"Born and raised." His proud smile nearly radiated.

"Have you lived there all your life?"

His face explained that he was thinking. I wondered how that could be a complicated question.

"Sort of," he finally said. "I was overseas for a while?"

"Oh? Where at?"

"Veitnam. The draft."

"Oh"  
Ouch. I winced a little and hoped I hadn't brought up a touchy subject. Perhaps I could derail.  
"What about the rest of your family?"

He hesitated a little and that only made me more suspicious. "What do ya' wanna' know about 'em?"

At least he'd given me the option. We stood under the canopy along the edge of the building now. I tried to think of a way to put the questions in my mind into words.  
"You live with your mother and brother?"

He looked away from me, but nodded again. The muscles in his jaw looked hard, just the way Edward's did when I asked him something he didn't want to answer. There was more to this story.  
"You don't have to keep secrets with me, you know." I whispered in hopeful encouragement.

His red eyes looked my way, then he gave a touch of a smile that seemed forced. "I know."

It was clear to me that I wasn't going to be getting anymore family-related questions answered. Defeated, I led us into the cafeteria. I hadn't noticed Wesley ever in there before, so I had no idea where he was planning on sitting. I started to blush as I reached the table, realizing he was still following me.

Edward looked at me funny, probably from the blush. His eyes darted to Wesley. I wondered if he was reading Welsey's thoughts, just to see if he'd done or said something that would actually cause the blush.

Jessica and all the others were quiet, watching Wesley as he sat down on the other side of me. It wasn't a threatening or territorial sort of silence, but more in awe. It was like the first day that Edward and Alice joined us at our table, all over again.

Edward sat a soda in front of me and smiled. He must have been satisfied by what whatever he saw in Wesley's thoughts.  
"Did you email your mother?"

"Yep. And I ran into Wesley in the lab, actually."

"I see."

Him and Wesley looked at each other for a long moment. Sitting in between them, of course I noticed this. Were they having a stare-down or something? Wesley was grinning, as usual. Wait, no, smirking. Every few seconds Edward would raise a brow or the corner of his mouth would quirk. Then, Wesley mumbled something too quick and too quiet for me to here before turning his attention to the rest of the cafeteria. Edward responded in the same manner before looking down at the unopened bottle of water in his hands, idly.

"Um?" I hated being left out.

"Bella? Would you like to go shopping with me after school?"

I blinked at Alice's voice. She had a knowing expression on her face. I was still grounded, but it was possible this was some sort of distraction from the conversing males.  
"Sure. I'll have to ask Charlie, though."

"I'll come with you, when you do."

That took me off guard, but I didn't disagree with it. Charlie might be more prone to saying yes if Alice was there. He adored Alice.

The rest of my classes went by uneventfully. Mike was still absent, so Wesley again took his seat in the one class I had with him. We didn't exchange any words, though, only a smile. I was finding myself beginning to enjoy Wesley's company. As far as I could tell, he wasn't admiring. He wouldn't turn into a puppy in the same way Mike and Eric had. I never could bring myself to put Jacob in the 'puppy' category, which, now that I think about it, is rather ironic.

At the end of the day Edward dropped both Alice and I off at Charlie's. He'd asked if, in the case that Charlie said yes, we wanted him to come along. Alice had told him know before I could even think of an answer. "This is a girls' night," she said with a bounce in her voice. I had a funny feeling that even if we were confined to my house I was going to end up with rollers in my hair and new make-up products applied to me.

"Charlie!" Alice's sing-song voice flitted from the kitchen as soon as we heard the cruiser pull in and the front door open.

"Alice?"

They greeted one another with friendly hugs, as they'd become prone to doing.

"Do you mind if I kidnap her daughter and take her shopping with me?"

Charlie's face twisted in debate.  
"I don't know, Alice. She's still grounded."

"Even if I promise to return her in just a few hours? There's a few things I've wanted to pick up, but I really do hate driving by myself."

Driving safety was something Charlie never argued with. If Alice was more comfortable with someone else in the car, he wasn't going to tell her no.  
"Well, alright. But not too late."

Our moment of triumph consisted of some cheering that made Charlie duck into the room in his usual smiling embarrassment.

I took a few moments to put together a roast with some vegetable in a pan, sticking in the oven on low. I gave Charlie instructions to take it out in about an hour, then Alice and I were out the door. I stopped in surprise.

The black Mercedes that I knew belonged to Carlisle was parked in front of my house. For a moment I wondered why Carlisle would be here, but quickly remembered that Alice often drove the vehicle, herself.

I nearly took my shoes off before I climbed into the car. It still had that 'new car' smell to it. I suppose since vampires can't exactly sweat, and as far as I knew none of them smoked or had pets (excluding that time Laurent had referred to me as a pet), there would have been nothing to wear down that smell.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as we pulled away from the house.

"I'm not sure, exactly."

I looked over at Alice, not sure of what to make of the sudden change in her voice. Her smile was gone now. "Alice?"

She shook her head. "I wanted to pull you away for a few minutes, just us."

"Why?"

"Bella, sometimes I see things that I try hard not to even let Edward know about. It could be irrelivent to any of us, but still..."

I was starting to get worried. It seemed like she was beating around the bush. "Alice, what did you see?"

"All I want to say is...be careful around Wesley, alright?"

"Wesley? Why?" I shifted to face her more. She looked concerned.

"Keep someone nearby when you're with him, please, Bella?"

"Alice, just tell me!"

She sighed headed down the road that led out of Forks. Maybe we still were going shopping after all.  
"There are a lot of things I miss about him. It could be because he's part werewolf, still. So, sometimes when things hit me they take me by surprise."

That made sense. I knew Alice couldn't have visions about werewolves, but Wesley was a vampire, as well. She'd said she was rather better with visions of her own kind. "What's going to happen?"

"A fight, Bella. He's going to kill something."

I froze for a moment.  
"Something? Or some_one_?"

She frowned a little.  
"Some_one_."


End file.
